Utility pole's loose guy wire poses safety hazard

A utility pole in front of my home is anchored on my lawn with steel cables (guy wires) for stability. One of these wires has broken free from the rusted anchor pin that pulled out of the ground. I've secured the steel cable wire with sash cord to keep it from swinging into the high tension wire at the top of the pole and have called LIPA three times to have them remove it. They told me it was a Verizon pole, so I called Verizon, but I can't seem to get this fixed, and someone's going to get hurt.

Henry Koehler, Massapequa

Mr. Koehler knew what he was talking about. During his 46-year career with a tree-trimming company used by LIPA, he had plenty of experience with high-tension lines. We call Verizon spokesman John Bonomo about the problem, and he said LIPA would have to be notified.

LIPA removed the cable last weekend. Spokesman Mark Gross said there may have been some confusion about the old cable because Verizon owns the utility pole, but it was LIPA's guy wire that came loose.

"We removed the wire from the pole to Mr. Koehler's satisfaction," Gross said.

Anyone with a problem concerning guy wires on utility poles should call LIPA at 800-490-0025.

Observing weight limits

I am concerned about overweight vehicles crossing Ellison Avenue Bridge over the Long Island Rail Road tracks in Westbury. The bridge's weight limit is 3 tons, and there are signs posted on both sides of the bridge. But I see school buses, trucks and large commercial vehicles using the bridge. I'm betting some of them are more than 6,000 pounds. Can we get some enforcement on this road?

-Alfred Daly, Westbury

We don't know which school district's buses are pictured in the above photo, but officials at Carle Place School District said their buses haven't used the bridge for years. Westbury School District officials said their drivers have been told to use an alternate route.

And Westbury Village Mayor Peter I. Cavallaro said that village garbage trucks "do not traverse over the bridge and have not for some time," and crews are periodically reminded as such. However, he said, non-village trucks could be crossing the bridge on the way to a nearby garbage plant and are either unaware or ignore the vehicle weight limitation.

Based on our call, Nassau police spokesman Det. Lt. Kevin Smith said that the village and the Third Precinct are reviewing the bridge signs with plans to upgrade and move them soon. Currently, weight limit signs are located immediately before the bridge.

"More specific, better-placed signs offering an alternative route may help," Smith said. "If the . . . sign isn't noticed until a driver is almost on the bridge, it poses more of a risk to turn around or back up, than to go over the bridge." When the signs are relocated, periodic enforcement will be conducted by the Highway Patrol Bureau, he said.

The bridge's condition has been rated 3.75 out of seven by the New York State Department of Transportation, indicating deterioration that requires corrective maintenance or restoration.

The MTA Long Island Rail Road maintains the bridge's framework and abutments and the village maintains the road. Cavallaro said it is his understanding that the Metropolitan Transportation Authority is seeking federal approval for an environmental impact analysis required to replace the bridge. Sal Arena, an LIRR spokesman, said in a prepared statement that the railroad is working with the village and state for a "solution" that "will allow for replacement of the bridge."

Third precinct residents with concerns about sign enforcement should call 516-573-6300.

-Michael R. Ebert

2 problems, 2 solutions

Tom Germano had doubts that both problems he called us about would get fixed. For two years, he'd made many attempts to get the Town of Babylon to fix the problems he believed were public hazards at the corner of Miller Avenue and Hughes Lane in North Babylon. Frustrated and concerned, he contacted us for help.

We wrote about Mr. Germano's complaints in February and shortly after, the town acted quickly to solve one problem by trimming dead branches hanging over a sidewalk where children walk to and from school.

But the second problem lingered. It involved the street's grading, which was lower than the storm drain. When it rained, a puddle would take days to evaporate. In winter, snow and ice collected there, creating a surface where vehicles skidded past the stop sign into the intersection. Children walked in the street to avoid a puddle.

Town spokesman Tim Ruggeri told us then that inspectors agreed the street should be regraded, but the work would have to wait until warmer weather. True to their word, the Public Works Department has regraded the corner. And Mr. Germano said he's relieved both hazards have been removed.